Another Woman's Baby
by EboniJade
Summary: When someone breaks your heart can you forgive them? Can you love something that isn't yours? Bella must find it in her heart to forgive Edward. Edward must find it in his to love something that has torn his life apart. Can they do it? This is the story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga and/or characters. I just borrow them for a little while. **

**A/N: Hi guys and gals! This is a new story that I have been working on. But no worries…I am not done with Salem Prep! Chapter 10 is in progress and almost done. **

"What happened to us, Bella?"

"The fairytale ended," she said.

She got up and walked to the door.

"Do me one last favor Edward." She turned and faced him. "Don't make this any harder than it already is and just sign the papers."

"I can't Bella."

"Edward-"

"I can't and I won't. If there's any hope for us, I'm going to fight for it."

"After all this you really think I'm going to just forget it all and forgive you?"

"Bella, I'm sorry." His face pained. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry."

"No Edward. I'm sorry that you couldn't keep it in your pants!"

"Bella hear me out!"

"Save it Edward. Sign the papers."

"No."

"Sign them!"

"Bella, I love-"

"Just sign the damn papers!"

He was silent.

"At this point, I don't care how sorry you are, or how much you love me, or how we can work this out. What I care about right now is the fact that my heart is broken! My husband, my best friend broke my heart!" she said through tears.

He was silent.

"So I ask you again, sign the papers."

"No."

"Agh! You insolent, persistent, arrogant ass! Fine! But no matter if those papers are signed or not, you are not my husband."

She yanked the ring off her finger and slammed it on top of the papers.

"Bella don't do this."

"I have no choice Edward."

"You do."

"I can't stay with you. I didn't marry a liar, an cheater, and most certainly not a man who is having a baby by another woman!"

He was silent. Her words stung like daggers. He knew all the words were true, but he couldn't face them.

"Goodbye Edward."

After she had left the office, Edward slumped down in his chair. He was a defeated man. His world had become completely unraveled in only two short months. Before the news was broken, he hadn't a care in the world.

But now, his family name was being dragged through the mud and it was all because of his one brainless, imprudent mistake. The love of his life and his wife, Bella, had to suffer from the humiliation and hurt that the man she married no more than four months ago was possibly having a baby with another woman. Said woman was Tanya, Tanya Denali. They had known each other for many years and their families were old friends. It was thought that Edward and Tanya would marry, that was until he met his Bella. They met in their second year in college during a Classical Literature class and hit off immediately.

"Dr. Cullen?" came a woman's voice jarring him from his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You have a call on line one."

"Who is it?"

"Your sister, sir."

Edward groaned. Relations between everyone had been rocky these past two months. His family, who was always loyal, was having a hard time coping with the recent events. Like him, they all fell in love with Bella only moments after meeting her. Alice, Bella and Rosalie were all friends before he had even met her. He picked up the receiver and it felt like he was lifting a weight.

"Hello, Alice."

"Hello, brother."

"What can I do for you today?"

He was waiting for her to yell at him, to scream, to berate him. That was what most of their conversations consisted of lately and he deserved it. Why should this one be any different?

"I just wanted to check on you. How are you?"

"I'm fine and you?" he said as he leaned back in his chair.

"As to be expected," she said with a sigh.

The conversation between the two lately had been strained. Alice was torn, she loved her brother but she also loved her best friend. Cullen's are always loyal to family, but this case was hard. Edward was family, but so was Bella. Alice wanted nothing more than for this whole thing to work out for the best and that meant Edward and Bella together and happy.

"Have you talked to her?" Alice asked breaking the silence.

"She left a little while ago, actually."

"And?"

"She dropped off the divorce papers."

"Oh Edward. What are you going to do?"

"Give her what she wants and sign them."

"That's all. You're not going to fight?"

"What else can I do, Alice? I broke her heart. I betrayed her trust. You didn't see her when she walked out of my office. She-," he rested his elbows on his desk.

"You didn't see her when she walked into my office afterwards."

"What?"

"I am guessing it was after she left yours. We do only work a block away from each other."

"What did she say?"

"Not much, mostly she just cried."

His heart fell.

"What happened, Alice?"

"I had just gotten back from a meeting with my staff and Emily told me that my sister-in-law was waiting for me in my office. I thought it was Rosalie, until I saw the brown hair. I walked in and there she stood at the window, silently crying. I hugged her and the next thing I knew, she was sliding to the floor crying harder than before. I told Emily to hold my calls and I sat there on the floor with her for a good ten minutes while she cried."

He felt like he couldn't breathe, his head hurt, his heart was racing. He took off his jacket and loosened his tie.

"Edward, I don't care how or what, but you have to fix this. Bella is a strong woman but I don't think she can handle this. This is just now; think about what she will be like when that baby gets here in a few short weeks? I can't lose her Edward, not again. You two may not be together, but she is still my best friend."

His heart panged when she said not again. He tried many times to push out the memory of the months that they were separated. It was his last year of medical school and he had put his all into it, neglecting those around him; most of all his fiancée Bella. When they had put their engagement on hold, she cut all ties with the Cullen's and Hales, which included Alice and Rosalie. It was six long months of no Bella, no soft hugs, no smell of strawberries and freesia when he hugged someone. It almost broke him, but Tanya had been there when he needed her. She had been someone that he could talk to and she listened and gave advice when needed. He loved her, but he could never love her the way that he loved Bella. The night she left was the one and only time that he slept with her. He thought he was so careful; that he did everything that he was supposed to do to make sure that nothing like this would happen. He and Bella reconciled a few weeks later that and less than three months after, they were married. He never told Bella of his night with Tanya; therefore she remained ignorant to the fact. That was until Tanya called one day while he was at work to ask him to lunch.

"_Dr. Cullen?" _

"_Yes, Miranda?" _

"_Call on line one." _

_He picked up the receiver. _

"_Dr. Edward Cullen." _

"_Dr? You finally did it, E." _

_There was only one person that called him E and he had not seen her since she had snuck out of his bed the last night she was there. _

"_Tanya! How are you?" _

"_I'm okay. You?" _

"_Good!" _

"_How is the family?" _

"_Everyone is great! Bella is well too." _

"_Bella? Are you two still friends?" _

_He chuckled. _

"_I could say we are more than friends. We got married a few months ago." _

"_Oh?"_

"_Your sisters were at the wedding and they said you were out of the country." _

"_That I was." _

_They were silent for a moment. _

"_So, look E. I wanted to invite you to lunch with me. Are you free?" her voice sounded hesitant. _

"_Actually, I am! I work downtown so do you want to meet at the café on 32__nd__ and Oak?" _

"_Sure! That will be fine. Give me fifteen minutes." _

_They hung up the phone and he walked out telling his secretary that he would be back in an hour. Picallily was a short walk from his office and he got there in no time. The cooling summer air made sitting outside bearable so he grabbed a table and ordered a drink. He was looking down at the menu when he heard the clack-clack of heels that stopped in front of him. He looked up to see a woman dressed in a pale green dress with a short coat and her strawberry blonde hair cascaded down her back. Her dark sunglasses hid her eyes, but he knew it was Tanya. She smiled and he stood kissing her on the cheek. That was when he noticed it, her large protruding belly. How could he miss it? He was a doctor after all. _

"_Tanya," he said as he pulled out her chair and helped her sit down. _

"_Nice to see you too E," she said sarcastically. _

"_You're pregnant?" _

"_Really? Is that what this is?" she said jokingly. _

"_When? How? Who?" _

"_Can we just enjoy a meal first? I'm famished." _

_They placed their orders and waited. _

"_How are your sisters?" _

"_Kate and Irina are well. Irina just started her third year and Kate graduates in the fall." _

"_Please send them my greetings and congratulations." _

"_I will." _

_The waitress came and brought their food. As she left, she congratulated Tanya on her baby. They finished the meal and sat in silence. _

"_It's yours," Tanya said breaking the silence. _

_Edward jumped back, almost falling out of his chair. _

"_It can't be. It's been-," he counted up in his head. _

"_Seven months," they both said at the same time. _

"_We were careful. We did everything by the book to make sure nothing like this would happen." _

"_I know." _

"_It can't be. I'm sorry Tanya, but it can't be." _

"_It can't or it won't be?" _

"_It can't. I have a wife and I-" _

"_E. I'm not asking you for anything. Have I ever asked you for anything? No. I know that you love Bella and that you are happily married. Trust me I know. I would kill to have someone look at me the way you look at her. I only came to tell you that: A. I am pregnant. B. The baby is yours. I don't need anything from you, a law degree is good for something," her voice sneered. _

"_I'm sorry Tanya. It was rude of me to assume that-" _

"_Stop. It's alright." _

_They sat in silence. _

"_So what do we do now?" Tanya asked. _

_That night he went and talked to his parents, they were less than thrilled. _

"_How could you be so careless?" Carlisle yelled. _

_His mother, Esme sat on the couch rubbing his back and hugging him as he cried silently into her lap. _

"_Carlisle, can't you see he is suffering enough?" _

"_Actually darling, I don't think he has suffered enough." _

"_Carlisle." _

"_I don't understand! What could have been going through your head that night! We talked about this over and over again! You are a smart boy Edward Anthony. Where was your head that night? Maybe if you had stopped thinking with the wrong body parts you wouldn't be in this predicament that you're in now! Did you think of that? Did you think of Bella?" _

_He only cried harder into his mother's lap. _

"_I'm done," his father said as he stormed out of the living room into his study. _

_His mother continued to rub his back and quiet his tears. After a few moments she spoke. _

"_Edward?" _

_He muffled a reply._

"_Sit up." _

_He sat up and hung his head in his hands. _

"_Listen. I am not saying that I agree with your father on his actions, he will be reprimanded. But he is right. What were you thinking? Wasn't seven months right before you and Bella resumed your engagement? This is telling me that you cheated on her." _

_At the mention of Bella he let out a choked sob. _

"_What do I do mom?" he asked. _

"_You have to step up and take responsibility for your actions. You chose to sleep with Tanya and this is the consequence of your carelessness." _

_He groaned; his head was spinning. _

_He felt his mother stand and heard her walk away. _

"_Edward?" _

_He looked up at her. _

"_You have to tell her. You have to tell Bella. Don't let her find out from someone else. Maybe you can salvage something of your marriage." _

_Pain ripped through Edward's chest, his body chilled and he felt light headed. _

"_Son?" Esme said as she rushed to his side. _

_He clutched his stomach and gagged. Esme ran to the kitchen ad took the bucket from under the counter. She made it just in time as he retched into the bucket. _

"_Carlisle!" his mother called out. _

_His father came rushing into the room and upon seeing his son, ran to get his medical bag. His mother wiped his mouth as his father checked his vitals. _

"_I'm fine. Just a panic attack." _

"_Just! Edward you scared me half to death," protested his mother. _

"_Stay the night and go home in the morning," his father said putting his instruments away. _

_Two days later he called a family meeting with everyone except Bella. _

"_You did what?" Emmett roared. _

"_Edward!" Jasper yelled. _

_Edward hung his head when he heard an outburst from his brother-in-law, Jasper. He never lost his temper nor raised his voice. _

"_You son of a-," Rosalie began. _

"_Rosalie Lillian! That kind of language is not tolerated in my house," Esme said sternly. _

"_Yes Esme," Rosalie said. _

"_How could you do this to Bella, Edward?" asked Alice in a small voice. _

_It was so like Alice, she thought of everyone but herself. _

_He kneeled on the floor so that he was at eye level with her. _

"_Alice." _

_She turned away. _

"_Ali, hear me out. I didn't do this to hurt Bella. I love her and you know that. I promised to never hurt her and I meant that. She is the air that I breathe, the sun in my sky, and my everything. I promise you I never, never meant for this to happen. But now that is has, I don't know what to do. What do I do? " _

_She looked at him, but she was angry. Yes, the Denali family had been old friends, but that meant nothing when it came to the well being of her family and that meant Bella. _

"_What do you do?" _

_Edward nodded. _

"_You tell her and deal with the consequences." _

_As she stood, for once she towered over him. She stared deeply into his eyes and he hoped that she was forgiving him. But her eyes narrowed as she looked down at him._

"_I hope she throws you out on your ass, Edward. I hope she makes you grovel and beg and plead. I hope she makes you cry and feel pain, because that's how she's going to feel. I hope that she makes you feel everything that she is about to feel. She is about to find out that the love of her life, her best friend, and her husband is having a baby with another woman. She is about to feel alone, betrayed, hurt, shame. I hope you-" _

"_Alice you don't know-" _

_She stepped toward him and he stood and took as step back. Alice rushed towards him, but Jasper grabbed her around the waist and held her tight. _

"_I know my best friend Edward! How could you do this?" _

_He had no answer. He looked down at the floor. _

"_Tell her." _

"_I can't Alice." _

"_Tell her or I will." _

_His head shot up. _

"_You will do-"_

"_So help me Edward. If she doesn't hear it from you, then she will hear it from me. Don't let her find out any other way." _

_He never got the chance to tell her. A week and a half after that, he was having a surprise dinner with his siblings for Bella's birthday, but she was running late. When they heard her car approach, they turned off the lights and hid and moments later the door flung open. _

"_Surprise!" the group yelled. _

_But the look on Bella's face stopped the merriment. She walked in and closed the door and sat her bag by the table. The entire room was silent. One look in Bella's eyes and he knew. Somehow she had found out about Tanya and the baby. His heart slowly began to break._

"_Bella?" Edward's voice broke the silence. _

"_You," she said pointing a finger at him. _

_She slowly looked around the room at each and every person as anger, betrayal and hurt filled her eyes. _

_Alice moved closer to Emmett and whispered in his ear. _

"_Be ready to grab her, she usually would not be happy if she hurt him but now she could care less" _

_Emmett nodded and as he did, Bella rushed forward screaming. He grabbed her around her waist and held her effortlessly. _

"_How could you?" she screamed at him._

_He stood and said nothing. _

"_Are you deaf! Answer me, dammit!" _

"_Who told you?" _

"_Tanya! I saw her today in the bookstore. Seven months!" she said through the tears. _

"_Bella, I was going to tell you!" _

"_When? After the baby was born? When the little pitter patter of feet was running around the house?" _

_He was silent and she relaxed. Emmett loosened his grip on her. _

"_When did you find out?" _

"_Almost two weeks." _

_She was rushing forward then, but this time Jasper grabbed her. _

"_Two weeks, two fucking weeks!" _

_Edward flinched at her words. Bella rarely cussed and when she did, she was mad. _

"_Bella I-," he began. _

"_How could you? What were you thinking Edward? How could you do this to me? To us?" she choked through tears and hoarse words. _

_Alice moved over to comfort her and Bella fell into her arms sobbing. _

"_Bella-" _

_Alice shot him a look and he stopped talking. After a few moments, Alice helped her stand as she sniffled the last of her tears. _

"_Bella, please. Hear me out." _

_She turned to look at him, her body shaking with sobs. If his heart had not been broken before, it was in pieces now. Seeing his Bella cry, in pain or just sad was hard for him and now he was the cause for it. _

"_I'm sorry, Bella." _

"_I'm sorry? That's all you have to say? Some pathetic "I'm sorry"?" she released her hold on Alice. _

_Emmett stepped behind her incase she decided to try and harm Edward, not that he minded. _

"_I don't have words to-"_

"_Save it. I don't want to hear. You betrayed my trust and even though we were taking a break, I still expected you to be faithful." She stepped forward and Emmett stepped with her. _

"_You lied to me for months. I was nothing but faithful to you when we were separated." _

"_I-"_

"_I'm not finished," she said as she took a step forward and Emmett followed._

_He stood silent. _

"_You lied to me, you betrayed my trust in you. You have destroyed us." _

"_We can work this out,'' he said when she paused. _

"_Oh yeah? What? You, Tanya, the baby and me? Or better yet you, the baby and me?" _

_He was silent. _

"_Well try this on for size. How about you, Tanya and the baby?" _

_His head shot up. _

"_I'm done Edward," she said as she walked toward the stairs. _

_Alice and Rosalie followed her up the stairs. He slid down to the floor and held his head in his hands. _

"_You fucked up bro," Emmett said. _

"_Big time," said Jasper. _

_The two men moved to sit on the couch as he sat slumped against the doorframe of the living room. He heard footsteps as they came down the stairs, he looked up and the sight brought a choked sob from his lips. Each of the girls had a bag in their hand as they came down. The boys stood and Edward looked at the ground as Bella passed by him. He couldn't let her leave. He needed her to look him in the eyes and she would know how sorry he was. He reached out and grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. He enveloped her body in tight hug and a passionate kiss that he put all his love and his heart into, in hopes that she felt it. What he felt was her hands pushing him away. Reluctantly he let her go and as she stepped back she glared. The next thing Edward knew a sharp stinging sensation had formed on the left side of his face, Bella had slapped him. _

"_Don't you ever, ever put your hands on me again," she said through her teeth. _

That night had been on of the few times he had seen her, until today.

"Edward?" Alice's voice snapped him out of his daydreaming.

"Yes?"

"Did you hear me?"

"What? No! Sorry, Alice."

"Never mind," she sighed.

"I will call you later," He said in attempt to get her off the phone.

He sat at his desk with his feet propped up as he rubbed his temples. He had been getting a lot of headaches lately from the added stress of everything that had been going on. He was constantly tired, nauseous, or in some kind of physical or mental pain.

"Dr. Cullen?"

He groaned. All he wanted was a few moments of quiet.

"Yes, Miranda," he said through his teeth.

"Line one."

He picked up the phone.

"Dr. Edward Cullen."

"Edward! This is Gabriel."

Gabriel was one of his colleagues and also a classmate of Edward who now worked the hospital across town.

"Gabriel! Good to hear from you. To what do I owe this call?"

"Do you know a Tanya Denali?"

Edward jerked.

"Yes, she is a friend."

"Well she has you listed as her emergency contact."

"Yes."

"You better get down here."

"Why?"

"She's been in an accident and we are prepping her for an emergency C-section."

**Pictures are on my profile. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: While I do not own the Twilight Saga and/or characters, I still like to pull them off the pages and play around for a little while. **

**AN: Chapter 3 is in progress. If anyone would like to be a pre-reader…let me know. **

When she walked into Edward's office she knew that what she was about to do was going to be the hardest thing that she had ever done. But it had to be done.

She loved Edward with no abandon but the whole ordeal was more than she could handle. He lied to her. Not just about the baby but also about sleeping with Tanya. He looked in her eyes, slept in the same bed, and made love to her all the while living a lie.

As she stood in Alice's office looking over the city she remembered the day that set their relationship back in motion.

_"Bella, I can't stay away from you anymore," his green eyes bore into her brown. She looked in his eyes and she saw his pain, his love but most of all she saw her future._

_She wanted nothing more than to say the two words that hung in her mouth. _Then don't._ But she couldn't. _

_She looked into his eyes and saw what she felt. His heart was breaking and so was hers. She was a strong person but Edward gave her the extra push that she needed. She knew her choice and it would always be Edward. _

_But she didn't want to go through that pain again. She understood what it meant to Edward to get his Doctorate. But what she didn't understand was the distance that grew between them. He had promised to make time for the two of them, but that promise fell through like many others. _

_"Bella-," he said choking on his words. _

_His eyes threatened to release the moisture that she had already let fall. _

_"Bella, I can't do this without you. I need you. Here with me, by my side. You are my life and without you I am nothing. Please Bella," he all but begged her. _

_"Edward-" _

_"Please Bella. I need you," he said taking her small hands in his. _

_She looked down at her feet, closing her eyes. He saw the tears tangle in her long lashes and fall to the ground below. _

_"I need you too," she whispered. _

"_Then why? Why can't we make this work? I can't let you go."_

_She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She knew his words were true. She needed Edward as much as he needed her. They couldn't let each other go, they had been through too much together. But she was terrified. _

"_Edward, I love you and you know that. But I can't go through that again, I can't and I won't." _

"_If we love each other so much, why can't we make it work?" _

"_I'm scared", she dropped his hands and wrapped her arms around her waist in comfort. _

_Edward gently lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. _

"_Of what, Bella?" _

"_Of going back to how we were. You were tired all the time, you barely slept; it was like I had to force you to eat and when you did talk to me it was like you were on autopilot. You snapped at me all the time, you barely looked at me, and I can't even tell you the last time you just had fun." _

"_I can change." _

"_You've said that over and over again." _

"_I know." _

"_Tell me this. Before today, when was the last time you told me that you loved me?" _

_She knew he couldn't tell her. But she knew and it had been three months and two days. He had stopped her in the hallway and told her that he loved her._

_She waited for his answer. He looked down at his feet and furrowed his eyes brows. _

"_I-" _

"_Three months, Edward," she whispered as she closed her eyes._

"_I-" _

"_When I stopped planning the wedding did you notice?" _

_He knew the answer to that one. No. _

"_No." _

_She stood. _

"_See Edward, this is what I mean. You pushed everything aside. You pushed me aside. I know how important becoming a Doctor is to you and I support you. But I won't support you if this is going to destroy us. I promised to marry you but if this continues, that is one promise I am going to break." _

_His head shot up. When Edward met Bella, he knew that this was the woman that he was going marry and spend the rest of his life with. He couldn't let her go. _

"_Tell me Bella." _

"_Tell you what?" _

"_What do I have to do? What do I have to do not to loose you, to make this work? Tell me and I'll do it." _

_She looked at him and one look in his eyes and she knew it had finally sunk in. With threats of loosing her, Edward would crumble. She thought long and hard before she sat back down on the bench. Edward grabbed her hands and toyed with the ring that still sat on her hand. _

"_No more broken promises. No telling me that you're going to do something and not do it. Cut back on one of your classes and take one hour out of everyday to spend with me and only me," she said as she held his gaze. _

"_That's it?" _

_She nodded. _

"_I know life isn't perfect, but I just want us to go back to how things were before all of this happened." _

_He nodded. _

"_I love you," he said. _

"_I love you too," she said as he captured her lips in his kiss. _

The door to Alice's offices brought her out of her thoughts.

"Bella?" Alice called from the doorway.

She tried to acknowledge her sister-in-law's presence, but the words seemed to freeze in her throat.

Alice walked closer to her.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked.

She shook her head and covered her mouth with her hand.

Alice came closer and touched her shoulder.

Bella didn't want Alice to see her like this, but her walls were crumbling.

Alice turned Bella to face and when she looked in her face, all she saw was sadness.

"Oh Bella," Alice said as she wrapped her sister-in-law in a tight hug.

Her body gave out. She was tired of being strong, tired of putting up walls, and tired keeping a straight face. She was just tired of being tired. In truth, Bella was breaking down inside. Her whole world was turned upside down and she didn't know if it was ever going to be righted.

As she slid to the floor, Alice kept a tight grip on her.

"Bella, what happened?" Alice asked.

She shook her head. At the moment she was unable to speak.

"Mrs. Alice?" A voice called from the door.

Alice looked over her shoulder to see her assistant standing in the doorway.

"Hold my calls and close the door, please."

Her assistant nodded and shut the door.

Alice made herself more comfortable sitting on the floor and pulled Bella close.

"I know it hurts right now sweetie, but it will all work out," Alice said whispering in Bella's ear.

She stroked her hair and gently rocked her as she cried.

She wanted to say more, but there was nothing to say. No emotions could express what was going on inside Bella right now. Alice couldn't empathize with Bella, but she could have sympathy.

They sat together on the floor until her tears turned into soft whimpers. Alice continued to stroke her hair. Bella was thankful for a friend like Alice. She knew that it had to be hard on her choosing between her brother and her best friend.

When the tears dried she wiped her eyes, the remnants of her makeup long gone from the countless times she cried today.

"Bella?" Alice asked cautiously.

Bella let out a sigh.

"Yes Alice?"

"Are you okay now?"

"No Alice. I don't think that I will ever be just okay ever again."

She shakily stood from the ground where she sat and helped her sister-in-law up as well. She straightened her dress and ran hand through her hair.

"Things will get better, I know-"

"You keep saying that Alice! I am so sick of people saying that it will get better! I don't want things to get better! What I want is to not feel disgust when I look at him, to not hate him, to not want to hurt him as much as he has hurt me! What I want is for my heart to heal! I want the pain to go away!"

"That will all go away eventually, Bella."

"When?"

"It could be months or maybe even years. It may only dull and just never go away."

"That's not good enough! Have I not suffered enough pain in my life?"

"Bella, you know I can't answer that."

"I know, Alice. But I'm just so tired of feeling pain. For once in my life I just to be happy for a while."

Alice reached her arms out to hug her best friend and sister-in-law, Bella responded and stepped into the small girls embrace. If this were anytime but the present, Bella would have to laugh at the sight of Alice's head resting at her heart.

"I know sweetie, I know," Alice said in a muffled voice.

They stayed in the embrace a moment longer.

"What do I do Alice?

"I don't know Bella."

Bella let out a deep frustrated sigh. That was the million-dollar question that no one could answer. No one could give her a straight answer. It was either that she find a way to forgive him or move on, neither one of those appealed to her. She knew that if she moved on she would never love someone as much as she loved Edward and no one could compare to him. As for forgiving him, she had to find it within herself to forgive him first and she didn't know how long that would take.

"Oh, I know!" Alice said enthusiastically.

Bella scoffed in disbelief.

"Hear me out," Alice almost whined.

Bella looked at Alice expectantly.

"It's only been a little over a month since all of this started. You're going to need time to heal, to move on, and to forgive him or whatever you decide to do. Take that time. But first you need to figure out if your relationship is worth salvaging. Then go from there."

Bella nodded in agreement.

"But just know Bella, whatever you decide to do you're still my best friend and my sister."

At Alice's words of wisdom, she had to hug her.

"Here I thought Esme was the best for matters of the heart," Bella joked halfheartedly.

"I am my mother's daughter," Alice retorted.

"Thank you Alice."

"Anytime."

The girls settled into a comfortable silence when the shrill sound of a phone ringing broke through.

"Mine," said Bella.

She dug through her bag and found the electronic.

"Isabella Sw-Cullen. Isabella Cullen," Bella stuttered out.

Alice gave her a sad smile in return.

"Hi Angela," Bella said into the phone.

She paused.

"No. I am meeting with him at two not one," she said with a furrowed brow.

Bella let out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't care that he only works with the best editors, flattery will get him no where with me."

She paused again to listen to the woman on the other line.

"No, no. Tell Mr. Black that I will be there in half an hour. But please make it clear to him it's his fault that he has to wait. We scheduled him at two. I know that for sure. Okay, bye," Bella said as she hung up the phone.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, a habit she picked up from her husband, in frustration.

"I'm sorry, I have to go Alice. It seems a Mr. Jacob Black is sitting in my office waiting impatiently, no doubt with his feet on my desk."

Alice stifled a small giggle.

"It's okay Bella. I understand."

"Thanks for-" Bella's once frustrated face morphed back into the gloomy one that it was before the call.

"Thanks for listening to my little break down. I know you've heard it time and time again. But really, thanks."

"Bella-" Alice began to interrupt.

"No Alice, Esme is the closest thing I've ever had to a mother but now with all of this, I feel like she is conflicted. You know Rose and even though you're Ed-his sister-thanks. Just, thank you."

"You're welcome Bella."

"Well, I better get going before I have an angry wolf in my office, " Bella said as she gathered her bag.

"Wolf?" Alice said as she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"After the spike in vampire fiction, he decided to jump on the train and write fiction about wolves."

Alice looked at her incredulously.

"Don't ask. Something about he felt they were portrayed in a bad light."

Alice snorted with unlady like laughter.

"Alright, go take out the dog," Alice laughed.

Bella had to crack a smile.

The girls shared a brief hug.

"Lunch. This week," the shorter girl pointed a perfectly manicured fingernail.

"Yeah, yeah," Bella said as she walked out the door.

Once the door closed behind her best friend, Alice sat down in her chair. She smiled at the last few moments. In those, she saw a glimpse of her best friend before all of drama with Edward, Tanya and the baby began. She missed that more than anything. She sighed to herself and picked up the phone dialing a number.

"Hello Miranda. Is Edward in?"


	3. Author's Note

Hello lovely people. So…I know that the majority of you probably hate me at the moment or either don't really care. But I just wanted to give you a little update.

I am out for the summer, until September. So plenty of time to write and I am writing! Between making cupcakes for people and building a deck with my father.

Salem Prep is being put on hold for a little while. I received a pretty negative PM telling me "_This is THE WORST story on fanfiction. Maybe the entire Twilight Fandom. Please stop writing. Find something better to do."_ That kind of killed my writing buzz for a while. So yeah. I am going to take a little time (no more than 2 weeks) and start reworking the story. So that means all of the chapters will be removed and then reposted. Better than before!

This one is going to sound really silly. But, does anyone know to make the vertical lines that you sometimes see in stories?

I NEED A PREREADER OR BETA. Please, please, please, pretty please with Edward Cullen on top. :)

Thanks guys!


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga and/or characters. I just borrow them for a little while. **

**A/N: (Peeking from behind a corner) Hello. Yeah. Real life is getting in the way a little and this chapter was a little hard to write. On top of that I am have surgery on the 28, I am editor of a magazine and I am applying to grad school. Don't hate me. Just to let you know that by the end of this chapter you may hate my Carlisle a little. But he will redeem himself, I promise. Who saw Breaking Dawn Part 1? Who loved it? What did you hate, if any? So on with the chapter: **

**_This chapter was edited by AliBelly...who is amazing and kind! _  
**

* * *

"_There's been an accident and we're prepping her for an emergency C-section." _

"Excuse me?"

"Edward, man, I don't have much time to talk. But when I saw your name on the paper, I knew that I had to call you personally. You need to get down here. Now."

The phone in his hand clattered on the desk.

"Edward?" the voice from the phone called as it swung by its cord.

Grabbing his jacket and keys, he sped out his door ignoring the frantic calls of his secretary as he waited for the elevator impatiently. When the doors opened he ran in and pushed the button for the parking garage franticly. The doors closed and he took some deep, calming breaths, but he froze as he tried to remember what he had done with his phone. He patted himself down looking for it, finally finding it in his inner pocket and let out a sigh of relief.

Scrolling down the numbers he had listed in his phone, he called the number that had become one of the least frequent numbers in his call log during the past month.

"Dad!"

"Edward, is that you?" Carlisle answered.

"Yeah. Hey are you still at the hospital?"

"Yes son. I just finished wi-"

"I need you to go to surgery and and find out if Tanya's alright."

"Edward, what are you talking about? What's going on?"

The elevator doors opened and Edward raced out of the elevator, past two women talking in the parking lot, towards his car, still talking to his father on the phone.

"The hospital just called and said that Tanya has had an accident and that they're prepping her for surgery. I'm on my way over there now, but I won't be there for another twenty minutes at least. Go check on her. Please dad? I need to know that she's alright."

Edward struggled to unlock his car with one hand as Carlisle let out a sigh.

"Fine. I'll call you back."

Carlisle hung up without any farewell from his son. Edward turned the key in the ignition and his car roared to life. He chucked his phone in the seat next to him as he quickly pulled out of the car park.

Like most things in Edwards's life at the moment, the relationship between father and son was strained. The Cullen's and Denali's were old friends, but this situation was the breaking point for the Cullen family relationship with the Denali family.

When Carlisle got off his phone, he shoved it into his pocket and walked towards the elevator. Carlisle had a dilemma. He was annoyed with Edward and he had told his son that he washed his hands of all of this drama, but he wanted to make sure that Tanya was okay. He was done with Edwards's drama and wanted nothing to do with it. It was time for Edward to grow up and handle his problems on his own.

Carlisle was cut out of his musings by the ding that alerted the elevators arrival. The machine climbed up a few floors before Carlisle exited it, and as he walked toward the nurse's station he saw his one of his favorite nurses sitting behind the desk; Kay.

"Kay." He greeted her.

"Dr. Cullen," the woman smiled, years of laugh lines crinkling her face.

"Have you had a Ms. Tanya Denali come through here today?"

"Yes, we have," she said, her face turning grim face.

"What's happened Kay?"

She searched her desk for the chart and laid it on the counter for Carlisle to take. "Read for yourself."

Carlisle looked from the woman's grim face to the folder. He flipped it open and read.

_Patient was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs after what appeared to be fainting. Fall was determined to be the result of heart failure. She went into cardiac arrest in route to ER. Her history shows signs of undetected congestive heart failure and cardiac dysrhythmia._

He slapped the folder shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Do you know her, Dr. Cullen?"

Carlisle nodded. "She's having my youngest son's child."

"But, Edward is-"

"It's a long, complicated story Kay!" Carlisle let out a deep sigh.

Kay nodded.

"Where is she now?"

"Dr. MacArthur is with her in surgery now," she looked down at her watch, "He should be performing the C-section any minute now."

Carlisle let another sigh slip from his lips. He pulled out his phone and dialed Edward.

"Hello," Edward barked, obviously pissed off.

"Where are you?"

"About five minutes away."

"Hurry."

Again Carlisle hung up the phone, without saying farewell. He turned back to Kay and offered her a small, weak smile.

"Kay, can you please keep me updated on her condition? I would really appreciate it."

"I will."

After offering her his thanks, he walked down the hall back towards the elevators, hands fisted in his hair.

Edward honked his horn again. The slight traffic seemed like rush hour to Edward. He drummed his fingers over the wheel, muttering "Come on, come on!" as his frustration grew. The cars continued to move slowly and Edward threw his hands up in frustration.

His phone vibrated in the seat next to him and he picked it up. A cold chill ran down his body as he read the name.

_Kate Denali._

The phone stopped ringing, beeping to say a voicemail had been received. His phone rang again.

"Man up, Cullen," Edward said to himself as he answered his phone.

"Edward," Kate's soprano voice called. "I'm sorry to bother you, but would you happen to know where Tanya is? I tried calling her cell phone _and_ her apartment. I've tried Irina and she said she hasn't seen her either. Neither Carmen. I didn't know who-"

Edward cut the woman off from her rambling. "I know where she is, Kate. Where are you?"

"I've just finished having lunch with Garrett. Why?"

"Listen to me, Kate; Stay calm, alright? Please, just stay calm."

"Edward you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"It's Tanya, she's in hospital. You need to get Irina and come to General. Now!"

"She's not having the baby is she?" Kate asked.

"No," Edward answered, suddenly morbid. "Something's happened. Just get Irina and come quickly."

Edward heard a sob through the phone, and the phone being passed to someone else.

"Hello, Edward?" a gruff voice said.

"Garrett?"

"Hey Edward. What did you say to Kate? She's freaking out!"

"Garrett, I need you to take her and Irina to General. Something's happened to Tanya."

"Okay, we'll meet you there."

Edward hung up his phone and called his father again.

"Hello?"

He pulled into the closest car park and ran across the parking lot. The automatic doors slid open and he ran through them towards the elevators.

"Hey, Dad. It's Edward. " He said his father picked up his phone.

Edward frantically pushed the buttons for the elevator as the doors closed with a ding.

"Where are you son?" Carlisle said as the elevator doors opened for Edward.

"Right behind you."

Carlisle turned to see his son snapping his phone shut.

"What's going on dad? How's Tanya?" Edward asked.

"Come on, we'll talk on the way." Carlisle said in a morbid tone.

Edward followed behind his father, walking swiftly to catch up with him.

"Dad-"

"She's could die, Edward."

He stopped walking as his father continued forward. Carlisle stopped when he noticed Edward had, turning around to look at his son. Edward didn't move as Carlisle moved back to Edward and dragged him forward by the arm.

"Come on, Edward." Carlisle said as he began walking again, Edward followed him quickly.

"Did you know that she'd shown signs of heart failure in the past?" Carlisle asked as they turned down a corridor.

"No."

"And did you know she has cardiac dysrhythmia?"

"No, I didn't," Edward said, shaking his head. "What happened to her?"

"She was walking and talking to a coworker, had what they think was a heart attack and fell down some steps. On the ambulance ride here she went into cardiac arrest." Carlisle said pushed the button for the elevator, which immediately opened.

"Cardiac arrest? Dad, this is crazy. She's a twenty eight year old woman for god's sakes." Edward said, shocked, as Carlisle pushed the button for the floor Tanya was on.

"It happens, Edward. Not all the time, but it does happen. There's nothing we can do about it now. Gabriel's treated it and she is stable, but because of the way she landed on the stairs, the baby was in distress. She demanded that the baby's life was to be put before her own."

"She what?" Edward cried out as the doors opened. The pair walked off and Edward collided with a body.

"Excuse me."

"Edward?"

"Gabriel!"

The two friends embraced in a masculine hug.

"What's going on, Gabe?"

"She's in critical condition, Edward. We got the baby out, but she's a little early."

"She?"

"Yes, Ms Denali had a little girl. How do you know her Edward?"

Edward gave a sigh before he answered. "Long story short. She's having my baby."

"Oh. Well, I guess that congratulations is in order."

"Thanks."

"About Ms. Denali," said Carlisle, after a clearing his throat, getting back to the original topic.

"Like I said, she's in critical condition," Gabriel said as he opened the file in his hands. "I've had her placed in the ICU for the time being but she's in and 're monitoring her, but with women and heart conditions we generally do tests to make sure their heart and body can handle the baby. At the moment, with her in the condition she's in, we want to wait a bit until we do the tests."

"I understand," Edward nodded.

"The thing is Edward, if she codes, there is little that we can do. Her body isn't strong enough to tolerate most medicines and her heart can only take so much from the defibrillators. If she codes Edward, she could die."

The three men patted their pockets, checking for pagers.

"It's me," said Gabriel looking down at the screen. "I have to take this. But Edward, your baby girl is in the NICU." Gabriel said as he walked backwards. "Go see her."

Edward nodded.

"Edward-" "Carlisle started

"Dad, I can't deal with this right now. I need to go see Tanya, then when Kate and Irina get here, we'll decide what to do. If mom comes here, have her go look at the baby. I just- I just- not right now." Edward said as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"Right now-" Carlisle started again.

Edward held up his hands as he walked away. "Dad, right now I need to go see Tanya. I need you to stop being a doctor and be my father. I know that's my baby in there, but there is also a woman down the hall that could die because of it. And right now she is my main focus. So please, for once, be my dad."

Carlisle nodded and Edward continued down the hallway to the ICU with his hands in his pockets. Once he got the ICU board he looked through the names.

_Denali, 324. _

He rubbed his face and looked around the ward. His eyes stopped when they met a plate resting on a door that read 324. He let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding and walked across the hall to the room, pausing outside the door before he creaked it open. He wasn't prepared for the sight in front of him.

Gone was the sassy woman with the strawberry blond hair, one of the strongest people that he had ever meet. Before him lay a fragile, almost lifeless shell of his the girl that used to be his best friend. She was so still and pale; the only sign of life that she held was the beeping of the machines.

He stumbled forward, grabbing the doorframe for support. Taking a deep breath, he continued into the room sitting down on a hard, green plastic chair. The chair made a a loud scraping noise on the floor as he scooted forward, making Edward cringe. He gently took her weak, hand in his own, rubbing it gently with his thumb.

Her eyelashes fluttered and her blue eye's cracked open. She took in a deep breath and tried to pull her hand away in fright.

"Hey, hey. Tan, it's me. Just relax."

She stopped moving and looked into his eyes.

"E-"

"Here, let me get you some water."

He reached across the little table and poured water into a plastic cup. Edward placed his arm behind her back to help her sit up to drink. Tanya wrapped her hands around the cup, drinking greedily.

"Slow down."

Tanya sat back and looked around the room.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice rough.

"You're a General. What do you remember?"

She closed her eyes and her brow furrowed.

"I-I was walking with Kara down the stair be-because the elevator was taking too long."

"And."

"My-my chest."

Edward nodded.

"It hurt so bad." Tanya touched her chest at the memory.

"Then what happened?"

"I think-I think I fell. And that's all I remember."

Edward sat back down in the chair.

"Where's the baby Edward?"

"She's fine Tan. But you-"

"What?"

"Did you know about your heart?"

She swallowed thickly and nodded.

"You knew! You went through with this and you knew?"

"She was all I had Edward. I was alone. What- what- " she stopped. Her hand lightly rubbed her chest.

"Please forgive me, Tanya. I-"

"Edward, shut up."

Edward chuckled. "Still a spitfire, even in the hospital, I see."

"You know it," Tanya laughed hoarsely. She swallowed deeply.

"Your family are on the way Tan".

Tanya nodded.

"Edward," Tanya breathed.

"Yeah?"

"I never got to tell Bella that I'm-I'm sorry," she said short of breath.

"Tan, you're talking like you're going to die," Edward choked as a tear rolled out of his eye.

Tanya closed her eyes as they settled into a silence.

"Edward?"

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, Tan?"

"Her- her name is Kathleen Elizabeth."

"That's beautiful."

"I'm so tired, Edward."

"Just rest."

She nodded slowly. The machine connected to her heart started to beep erratically.

"Tan?" Edward stood up, yelling for help.

More machines started to beep, and nurses arrived to help, pushing buttons, trying to fix the broken women that lay below Edward. They yelled orders at each other, lowering the head of the bed as Gabriel ran into the room to help.

"She's coding!" one of nurses called to Gabriel, starting compressions on Tanya's chest.

"Bring me the defibrillator!" shouted Gabriel. Another nurse cut open the front of Tanya's gown, exposing her chest.

"Tanya!" Edward shouted as he moved forward.

Carlisle came into the room, hearing the shouting. "Edward, get back!"

Edward continued forward.

"Carlisle restrain him!" Gabriel shouted.

Carlisle grabbed Edward's arm as he neared the bed. "Son let them work."

A nurse rolled in the cart with the defibrillator. Gabriel grabbed the paddles as a nurse squirted the gel onto them.

"Clear!" Gabriel placed the paddles on her chest, her body bowing off the table.

The machine flatlined.

"Again!" shouted Gabriel, rubbing the pads together. "Clear!"

A nurse began compressions on her chest in between Gabriel's motions.

Again, nothing.

"Again!" Gabriel cried. "Clear!"

The machine again showed nothing.

"Dr MacAuthur, what do you want to do?" the nurse at the heart machine asked.

Gabriel let out a deep sigh, looking across the room at Edward. He shook his head and looked away as he heard Edward emit a sob.

"Nurse Gaines, call it."

"Time of death 6:39 pm."

The nurse covered Tanya's body, pulling the covers over her head after laying her hands neatly by her side.. Another nurse turned off the machine and then the light that lay above Tanya's bed.

Edward briefly registered their words as he slid through his father's arms towards the floor. He heard the shuffles of the hospital staff leaving the room and Gabriel's apology for his loss, telling him to call if he needed anything. He felt his father looking down at him, concern in his eyes. As he left the room, he heard a familiar voice that made him freeze.

"Excuse me; can you please point me to Tanya Denali's room?"

_Kate. _

Edward wiped his face as he made his way towards her, letting out a stuttered breathe. Kate stood at the nurses counter with Garrett, Irina, Carmen and Eleazar flanking her, all wearing worried faces.

"Kate," Edward called in a cracked voice, tears streaking down his face.

She turned around and gasped.

"Edward?" she said a she shook her head. "What-"

Irina covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face and Carmen let out a wail and turned into her husband's chest for comfort.

"No!" Kate said, walking towards Edward. "NO!" She beat at his chest with her fist. Garrett pulled her away and whispered in her ear.

"Kate, Tanya is-" Edward began

"She was fine! She was fine, Edward!"

"I'm so sorry."

Edward looked across the group as Garrett pulled his wife closer, silent tears running down his face. Carmen gripped tightly to her husband stifling her tears into his chest. But the saddest of them all was Irina, standing alone wrapping her arms around her shaking shoulders.

"I am so sorry."

* * *

**So…that was sad. I know. Happy Thanksgiving! **


End file.
